PS4 game consoles seized in Ukraine will be used for FIFA accounts, not crypto mining 07/19/2021

Last week, Cointelegraph reported the seizure of 3,800 PlayStation consoles allegedly used for mining cryptocurrencies. The confiscated playground equipment belonged to a hardware depot that was discovered by Ukrainian authorities during a raid on a farm that allegedly manipulated electricity meters to steal electricity from the local grid.

Based on initial reports at the time, PS4 consoles, graphics cards, processors, and other hardware used for illegal cryptocurrency mining operations were found at the crime scene.

However, according to an investigation by the Ukrainian business publication Delo, the seized PlayStation consoles will be used to generate cards and coins for FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), an in-game game mode.

Players usually have to earn money and FUT tokens by winning in-game soccer matches, but the bankrupt warehouse is said to have created black market variants of these in-game items. According to Delo, the Ukrainian secret service has yet to confirm or deny its results, while the chosen agency keeps the details of the ongoing investigation secret.

Connected: Ukrainian police seized 3,800 PS4 consoles that were used for illegal cryptocurrency mining

The first Cointelegraph report cast doubts about the possibility of illegal activities being used to mine the cryptocurrency:

“PlayStation 4 is not an ideal device for crypto mining. With a slightly outdated configuration compared to many of the mining rigs available today, even a 16-console PS4 setup with legitimate power consumption cannot make a significant profit. “

However, using gaming hardware to mine cryptocurrencies is not uncommon and is actually related to a lack of graphics processors (GPUs) for non-mining users. The growing demand for GPUs from miners coupled with a global shortage of semiconductors has made it impossible for budget conscious PC gamers to purchase next generation graphics cards for their hardware.